Dolly Parton will donate $1 million towards recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene

Dolly also confirmed that her local commercial ventures, such as the Dollywood amusement park, would be donating the same amount to the Mountain Ways Foundation that is helping victims of flooding in the area.

More than 200 people (including 11 in Tennessee) have been killed as a result of Helene after the storm ripped through the south-east of the United States late last month - with the government warning that the clean-up could take years.

Dolly, 78, said: "This is my home.

"God has been good to me and so has the public, and I feel that if there's anything I can do to give back in any way I can I'm always willing to do that. I want to feel like I'm doing my part."

The '9 to 5' singer continued: "I was heartbroken like everybody else, and just amazed and devastated by it.

"All these people feel like my people."

Dolly broke into song with the words "Helene, Helene" to the tune of her famous hit 'Jolene' during her remarks as she also issued a message of support to those who have had their lives devastated by the storm.

She said: "I know it's easy for us to say, 'oh, things are going to get better' when things are still really bad.

"All we can say is that we are with you, that we love you, we hope that things get better real soon - and we're going to do our part to try and make that possible."